New Hanover woman, 42, admits to sexual contact with boy, 15

NORRISTOWN — A 42-year-old New Hanover woman is facing jail time after she admitted to having sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy, who told authorities there were more than 40 sexual encounters over the course of a year.

Carolyn P. Supplee, of the 600 block of Jennifer Lane, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court on Friday to felony charges of statutory sexual assault and corruption of a minor in connection with incidents that occurred between September 2011 and September 2012 in New Hanover and other locations.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill deferred sentencing so that Supplee can be evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board which will determine if Supplee meets criteria under the state’s Megan’s Law to be declared a sexually violent predator.

Those classified as predators face more stringent restrictions under Megan’s Law, including a lifetime requirement to report their addresses to state police, mandatory counseling and community notification about their housing arrangements.

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Supplee, who faces a potential sentence of 11½ to 23 months in jail, remains free on bail pending sentencing. As a condition of bail, Supplee is prohibited from having any contact with the boy or his family.

Supplee, who is represented by defense lawyer George Henry Newman, was 41 years old at the time she had the sexual contact with the boy, court papers indicate.

An investigation began about 4:36 p.m. Sept. 4, 2012, when authorities received a report of a suspicious vehicle parked on Reifsnyder Road near Swamp Creek Park, according to the arrest affidavit filed by New Hanover Police Officer Michael Salvo. The reporting party indicated the occupants of the vehicle appeared to be having sex.

Responding officers observed a silver 2009 Hyundai Elantra parked on the shoulder of the road. Court documents indicate Salvo spoke with the occupants of the vehicle, the driver a teen boy and the passenger identified as Supplee, and asked why they were parked. The teen stated, “We were just talking,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Salvo indicated in court documents that he noticed the teen’s pants zipper “partially unzipped, and I observed him zip up his pants as he walked to the rear of the vehicle.” Salvo said the teen repeated that he and Supplee were “just talking” after going for a walk in the park.

The teenager also told Salvo that his parents were aware of his location, and he provided contact information for his residence. Police tried to contact the teen’s parents, but weren’t immediately able to reach them, court papers indicate.

About an hour after police spoke with the teen and Supplee, the teen’s mother called police, indicating she was unaware her son was at Swamp Creek Park with Supplee, according to the affidavit. Police asked the teen’s mother to come to the police station, and she arrived there with her son and her husband roughly three hours later.

The teenager voluntarily spoke to police about his relationship with Supplee, divulging that the two had engaged in sexual activity on more than “forty occasions over the course of the past year,” police indicated in the arrest affidavit. The teenager described having a sexual relationship with Supplee for “about one year,” well before he reached his 16th birthday, Salvo alleged.

Additionally, the teen told police that Supplee had supplied him with marijuana and they had used the drug together on “multiple occasions,” including at Swamp Creek Park in New Hanover, according to the arrest affidavit.

Under state law, by pleading guilty to statutory sexual assault, Supplee admitted that she engaged in sexual contact with someone who was under 16 and when she was four or more years older than the boy and they were not married to one another.

About the Author

Carl Hessler Jr. writes about crime and justice at the Montgomery County Courthouse for The Mercury and 21st Century Media Newspaper’s Greater Philadelphia area publications. A native of Reading, he studied at Penn State University and Kutztown University before graduating from Alvernia University with a degree in communications. He is a recipient of a National Headliner Award and has been honored for his writing by the Keystone Press Association, Philadelphia Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press Managing Editors of Pennsylvania. Reach the author at chessler@pottsmerc.com
or follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNews.